It is known in the art to provide means whereby the operator of a machine such as a wheel loader may command a bucket of the wheel loader to move automatically and rapidly to a predefined position. Such a motion or command is referred to by the term “kick-out” because conventionally it has been implemented by moving a primary control, typically an operating lever or joystick, to an extreme position in which it is retained by a detent. The term “kick-out” reflects the action of the detent which automatically releases the joystick so that it kicks out of the extreme position and returns rapidly by resilient bias to the neutral position when the bucket reaches the predefined position (the “kick-out position”). A kick-out command allows the operator to move the bucket to a position in which it is ready for the next operation without having to provide a continuous input signal via the primary control, so making it easier to perform a series of repeated movements, for example, when scooping loose material from a pile and dumping it into a truck.
More recently, it has been known to provide separate kick-out controls such as momentary contact switches whereby the machine operator can issue a kick-out command without having to move the joystick or other operating levers to a kick-out position. U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,214 discloses a control system using which the kick-out command from the kick-out controls are selectively implemented depending on the position of the operating levers and on the previous movements of the machine. That indicates whether or not the operator has returned the operating levers to a position in which the bucket can be lowered, for example, after dumping the load into a truck. The term “kick-out” is still used for such controls and commands which cause the bucket to move to a predefined position, even where the detent action which gave rise to the term is no longer a feature of their operation.
However, as wheel loaders and like machines are typically operated in a rapidly changing and unpredictable environment, a user control may be operated accidentally or unintentionally.